Fixture

Foxes Strike To Leave Green & Gold In Relegation Battle

There are people still unwilling to face the awful proximity of the relegation threat now tugging at Beddau`s shoulder. A reality check shows that since defeating Cardiff Met on 14 October, Beddau have, in losing 5 times successively, gained a solitary losing bonus point in the home defeat at the hands of Newbridge. Injuries and other demands on players` time have played a part and even here there were two late withdrawals from an already depleted squad. The league table does not take these considerations on board and the ailment must be treated from within.

Beddau actually prospered for quite a while at Bedlinog and the constant early pressure meant a yellow card for the home side`s loose head prop for killing the ball. How well-resourced were Bedlinog to cope with the loss? We were never to know as they were not required to scrummage throughout the period, Beddau twice choosing to kick close range penalty awards to touch.

When Bedlinog broke the siege their full back(my apologies for having no names; there was no programme) duly slotted the kick and when a penalty was placed to touch the hard work of the home pack eventually produced a try which was converted.

Beddau made a spirited reply but when a move broke down a well-placed kick meant a race that was won by Bedlinog for a touch down that made it 15-0. There was still time in the first half for Beddau to send another kickable penalty to the touch line.

The pattern stayed pretty much the same after the interval. Beddau constantly taking the ball into the Bedlinog 22 and the Foxes constantly winning the turnover and kicking clear to ask Beddau to do it all again. When the Foxes launched an attack of their own a well-controlled maul resulted in a drive-over try with the conversion stretching the lead to 22-0.

Again, in the face of Beddau`s pressure a Bedlinog forward saw yellow. This time Beddau were able to make it count when tight head Ben Lee burrowed in for an unconverted try. Bedlinog held firm and with time about up a poor piece of defending at a scrum saw Bedlinog`s scrum half with nothing between him and the try line and that secured the home side`s bonus point. There was just time for the Bedlinog full back to add a penalty to the already converted try. Perhaps 32-5 flattered Bedlinog but they were far more clinical and pragmatic than an increasingly bedraggled Beddau.

Some comfort for Beddau could be found in the performances of teenage forwards Jack Perkins and Regan Wilson while the return of Josh Llewellyn for a cameo showed the lock to be in good order. Jack Dando, too, came through his latest attempt at a comeback from injury and while a solid front row and revitalised James Cashin will keep the side competitive the relegation woes may yet subside. There is, though, no room for complacency.